Acupuncture for Acne? Here's What You Should Know

There’s no shortage of creams, ointments, scrubs, diets, and medications that promise to clear up your skin and get rid of your acne. You may have tried many or all of them to no avail, but there’s one treatment you may have overlooked.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) addresses this common skin condition differently than Western medicine, with excellent results. At Earthy Ruby in Cupertino, California, we offer acupuncture for acne.

How acupuncture works

More than 2,000 points in your body are connected to meridians, or pathways, that allow your internal energy, or chi, to flow freely. Diseases, infections, and other health conditions occur when your chi becomes sluggish or blocked. Acupuncture is a holistic approach to health care that seeks to restore your internal balance and free your chi. 

Our experienced team uses ultra-thin needles to target the points on your body that correspond to your disease or condition. You may feel nothing at all during the treatment, or you may feel slight pressure or mild aching. We use 5-20 needles per session, and we may move them a few times and apply heat or electrical pulses, depending on what we’re treating.

Acupuncture addresses numerous physical and mental health conditions, including, but not limited to, relieving stress, helping with weight loss, reducing pain, alleviating headaches, improving sleep, and calming skin conditions. 

How acupuncture treats acne

Acupuncture goes deeper than topical acne treatments by addressing the root cause of your skin condition. TCM looks at the inner causes of your skin problems and tackles the source, and your type of acne gives our team clues about which system is involved and where your chi is blocked. 

Cystic acne

If you have cystic acne — large, red, swollen pimples — the infection has formed in your skin’s deep layers. The bacteria cause significant swelling and pain. Acupuncture dramatically reduces inflammation, causing the swelling and redness to subside and allowing your body to heal itself faster.

Blackheads and whiteheads

Acne occurs when excess oil and dirt clog your follicles. Blackheads appear when the dirt-filled “hole” becomes visible, and whiteheads are little bumps that form when the follicle closes up, and pus fills the space. According to TCM, toxins and excess phlegm contribute to an overabundance of sebum (oil), leading to acne. Acupuncture regulates your body’s oil production and eliminates the underlying cause of acne.

Hormonal acne

Hormone fluctuations often affect the skin, and acne is one of the results. Hormone-related acne typically appears on the chin, jawline, and around the mouth. Hormone changes occur in boys at puberty, but girls and women continue to experience these fluctuations monthly during menstruation, as well as during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Acupuncture helps regulate your hormones, restoring your overall health and clearing up your acne.

Our experienced team evaluates your acne and discusses your symptoms and previous treatments. We develop a customized treatment plan to address your unique type of acne and let you know how often and how many acupuncture treatments to expect.

When you’re ready to treat the root cause of your acne and stop pimples from popping up, contact us by phone or online and find out how unblocking chi may be the answer to your skin problems.